Letters to the Editor

What You Say

The Backlash's Backlash

It's saddening that so many people see acknowledging another point of view as equivalent to endorsing it [Feedback, "On Abortion," Feb. 7, 2007]. It's exactly this unwillingness to "humanize" the enemy that keeps people polarized. You can't change what you don't understand and, if the John Dunkles of the world are going to be won to a more humane position, it will be by people who take an approach like that of Erich Schmidt [Cover, "The Terrorist and the Baby Killer," Doron Taussig, Jan. 31, 2007], not that of Eric Morgenstern or [Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania President and CEO] Dayle Steinberg.

Eric Hamell
Francisville

These pro-life extremists are enemies of Planned Parenthood and women everywhere who are trying to manage their own fertility without interference from the government and a bunch of mostly old male religious zealots. Surely [Steinberg] can't believe that revealing to the public what this enemy is like is going to make these antis look good and harm the pro-choice movement. ... Hardcore pro-lifers defend their Web sites by citing Ephesians 5:11: "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness but instead expose them."

I have long thought that the pro-life extremists should also be exposed. John Dunkle has accomplished a similar exposé of his own cause using his own inflammatory words through the medium of Doron's article about two old men who have gotten past their basic differences and become friends. And yet Doron doesn't neglect the human side of the story. Re-examine the last paragraph of the article: Would John approve if someone killed Erich — a baby killer in John's mind? "John was unable to say no. But when you think about the power that religion holds over some people's hearts, and the desperation with which some men yearn to be right, isn't the amazing thing that he was not able to say 'yes'?"

In my experience, this reveals a lot of insight. Pay attention, readers. [Doron] can help you broaden your horizons if you let him.

Erich Schmidt
Via E-mail

The spate of letters criticizing Taussig's article were misguided in the extreme. Anyone who read the article with an open mind could see that he was in no way trying to endorse the views of anti-choice extremists. Although Taussig did use terms such as "baby killers" and "abortion mills," he did so to give insight into the mind-set of the radical pro-life movement. Rather than glorifying them, he showed how warped their world view really is.

Although the desire of Planned Parenthood executives and the pro-choice movement to prevent the glorification of these fanatics is understandable, it should not be allowed to degenerate into hostility against anyone who tries to understand them.

Mike Gallen
Kensington

I find the same knee-jerk effect with liberals when President Bush's name is associated with anything. It's like waving a red flag; they immediately charge. I do agree that the absence of quotation marks around pet expressions of the antis — like Doron's use of baby-killer in the first paragraph — can be off-putting. Also, in the second paragraph Doron writes, "Were John the man he wishes to be, he would teach himself arson, then go from one killing factory to the next, setting them aflame." One immediately wonders, whose side is the writer on?

Doron speaks of John and his fellow "rescuers," and uses the descriptive word "martyrs," which suggest to the casual reader sympathy for antis. He refers to murderous James Kopp as an "itinerant baby-saver." And he describes Planned Parenthood as a place where women go to "terminate their children" without indicating whose words these are. But Doron is illustrating John's point of view.

Later in his article, Doron calls the antis "old fogies" and says "'Mr. Monologue' did the same crap as the others." Doron goes on about John, "Maybe he was a sick bastard who enjoyed torturing people." Whose words are these? The intelligent reader knows it's Erich's point of view, but the impulsive reader takes words wherever his bias leads him.

This piece was a fine study in human nature. Doron has wisely shown that two intelligent old men with opposite points of view are human, despite their strongly held beliefs. They are a model for us all. Perhaps it takes the aging of the testosterone flow to reach this stage of maturity. Notice that in his last sentence Doron does make it clear that he is on the side of reason rather than conviction.

The judge pointed out how harmful words can be even when no physical violence is used. But he let John go with a warning. We can never be sure John wouldn't approve of Erich's murder. John doesn't know himself. Can't your readers see that? Can't they see that Doron's training as a writer insists that his private views be suppressed so that those of each subject's point of view be given equal attention?

Mimi Schmitt
Via E-mail

May I suggest that before writing newspaper articles you research the facts.[Loose Canon, "The New Civility, An Old Bully," Bruce Schimmel, Feb. 7, 2008] was completely wrong. More than 700 homes in the Fishtown community are sporting bright red bows because Fishtowners are "seeing red" over the delay of the building of SugarHouse Casino. Mr. Schimmel, people in my community want SugarHouse Casino! Had you bothered to come out to our neighborhood, you would have heard from people who are anxious to have a job that offers health care and a retirement package, who look forward to having a nice place on the Delaware waterfront to go to for dinner and an evening of entertainment, who are hopeful that we will have a Community Benefits Agreement that will pour at least $1 million per year into a neighborhood that has been neglected by the city and state for decades.

Three community groups — Fishtown Action (FACT), New Kensington CDC (NKCDC) and Olde Richmond Civic Association (ORCA) — have been working with the developer, the city and the state since September on a Community Benefits Agreement.For the first time ever, we are hearing about sound barriers on I-95 through Fishtown, more cops for our community, street cleaning [and other] things that we have never had before. How dare you print such nonsense? How irresponsible of you. Where do you live? In Fishtown?

Fishtown Action is a community group with a membership of almost 600 residents who "journalists" like yourself choose to ignore because you are gutless and it is cooler to write about the hip few who just moved to Philly five minutes ago because they are paid political activists or wannabe politicians.

Come to Fishtown, talk to real Fishtowners, then write a story ... if you have the guts.

Maggie O'Brien
Fishtown Action

Though I admit I am not a huge fan of the casinos imposed upon us (and my neighborhood) by Harrisburg, as a union organizer, I must take exception to Schimmel's snide and baseless assertion that "it's a fiction that there is an significant support for jobs in casinos," which he further asserts are "low-pay, go-nowhere" jobs.

If Schimmel has ever been to Las Vegas, one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., he would know that casino jobs are sought after because they are union jobs with benefits, pensions and family-sustaining wages.

In my view, it is certainly legitimate to debate about the potential negative impact of the Philadelphia casinos on quality of life in the so-called riverward neighborhoods, and even on the broader social implications of gambling for our City. But there is no doubt in my mind that it will not just be the "big guys looking for construction work" who will benefit economically from casinos. If community and labor organizations work together, they can make sure that every job on and in the casinos is a good, union job.

Philadelphia is a Union Town, with a broad base of homeowners. Despite the bloviations of Philadelphia magazine and other anti-union bastions of corporate liberalism (and plain old ignorant conservatism), it is the prevalence and relative strength of unions in this city that underpins our middle-class political economy. A union janitor or security officer earns an income that puts her smack in the middle of Philadelphia's economic distribution, and she has employer-paid health care and a pension. Casino jobs can — and must be made to — provide the same.

Jeff Hornstein
SEIU Local 32BJ

Maybe you or I wouldn't want to work in a "low pay, go nowhere" job, but Philadelphia has more than its share of unemployed welfare leeches, as well as employed families who may need an extra income, etc., no? I think it's safe to say that a large portion of the Philadelphia population is hardly a college graduate who is in the position to demand a high paying, glamorous job. Maybe that's the problem — these lazy-ians think they're so entitled to such.

To say that the city a) doesn't need jobs and b) that a large operation such as a casino wouldn't provide them is one of the most biased, ignorant things a reporter could possibly say.

Katie Rafter
Via E-mail

As I read your article, it became apparent to me that you are opposed to these casinos; why don't you attempt to employ your journalistic integrity and investigate the situation thoroughly before commenting one way or the other?

Instead of asking elected officials if residents in the Fishtown community really want casinos, why don't you actually makethe trip to the neighborhood and look around for all of the red ribbons which are displayed in support of the casinos? Why not even go a step further and knock on some of the doors where the red ribbons are displayed? I am sure you will get an accurate account ofhow much support the Fishtown residents reallyhave forthe casinos in their neighborhood.

You make mentionabout the pro-casino crowd saying, "Hey, I want one of those low paying, dead end jobs." THOSE ARE YOUR WORDS.A majorityof Fishtown residents are sayingthey want one of those jobs that are paying more then the minimum wage (decent wages)along with benefits. You are attempting to mislead your readers and that is a REAL INJUSTICE, if you get a chance, look around for your journalistic integrity, I think you lost it along the way.

Matt McIntyre
Via E-mail